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Looking for Alternative to Norton Internet Security

My Norton Internet Security renewal is due soon, and I'm wondering if someone from Bleeping can suggest if there are better anti virus / anti spyware programs out there. I am running Windows XP on an older PC and Windows Vista on a 2008 laptop. Thank you

You ask a common question for which you will receive varying opinions and recommendations. There is no universal "one size fits all" solution that works for everyone and there is no best anti-virus. Please see Choosing an Anti-Virus Program.

For what it is worth....I also run xp on a 6 year old HP, and i am quite satisfied with the combination of Avira Free Antivirus and Malwarebytes Antimalware.I run these as well as Win Patrol (also free), and CC Cleaner. I do not use the registry cleaner part of CC.I also occasionally download secunia psi , in order to really make sure all programs are up to date. I do not leave secunia permanently installed as it appears to use quite a few resources.

Brian

Condobloke

Outback Australian

I rate W10 use, somewhere between drunk driving and hair-drying in the bathtub.

Yes....I mean that....I now run LINUX MINT 18.06 Exclusively. NO windows os at all.(except in Virtual machine for testing and forum work)

In a world without walls and fences, who needs windows and gates?

Linux is not the wave of the future. It is the tsunami of the future.

You have moved the mouse. Windows must be restarted for the changes to take effect.....

This is all great information. I've been reading the posts on choosing an antivirus and malware/spyware software, and have found it all very informative and helpful. I've also been looking at the various suggested anti virus software website. I'll start with Brian's suggested suite of software. But the free versions give the impression that you are leaving large gaps in your protection (no email protection, no firewall, etc.). Is this true? Thanks again for all your help!! -Martin

I use Thunderbird email client......and make use of the "spam educator"......I find this to be sufficient for my needs.I also use Mozilla Firefox as my browser......i feel more secure using this as opposed to Internet Explorer. I also have the Windows firewallturned on, and again, this keeps me feeling quite secure.I do not use the paid version of Avira, although it is a very small outlay....i guess i am just a cheapskate...lolMalwarebytes.......the main advantage of the paid version is that it gives you "always on" protection. I DO use the paid version. Brilliant program.Twice i have been infected on my PC....and in both cases the fault lay with ME.....I clicked on a link in an email.....and i knew as soon as i did it ....that i should not have ! (Bleeping Computer came to the rescue both times)So....this combination has served me well.I also run a scan perhaps once a month with Eset online scanner,,,http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/....just for a little variety.Best of luck,Brian.

Condobloke

Outback Australian

I rate W10 use, somewhere between drunk driving and hair-drying in the bathtub.

Yes....I mean that....I now run LINUX MINT 18.06 Exclusively. NO windows os at all.(except in Virtual machine for testing and forum work)

In a world without walls and fences, who needs windows and gates?

Linux is not the wave of the future. It is the tsunami of the future.

You have moved the mouse. Windows must be restarted for the changes to take effect.....

Like Condobloke, I use both Malwarebytes and Avast (free versions) for real-time protection. I've had excellent results since I started using them. I'm usually careful about what I click on, but I've been directed away from potentially dangerous websites more than once.

Also, I would recommend installing Adblock Plus for your browser. Some ads have sneaky ways to trick you into clicking on things (e.g. the "x" icon is actually a link to a website), and I've heard that if a site is using a less-reputable ad service, there are some banners that can give you a virus even if you don't click on them.

But the free versions give the impression that you are leaving large gaps in your protection (no email protection, no firewall, etc.). Is this true?

I think they just want you to buy their software. Honestly, with the quality of free antivirus software available, I see no reason to "upgrade" to the pay versions.

I suggest avast! free antivirus. It comes with email, web, network, p2p, behavior and other kinds of protection. Besides it is a little less resource hungry than Avira.For firewall you can use free Zonealarm or just use Windows firewall.

But as Animal mentioned above, it all depends on yours requirements, Windows version and hardware. One size does not fit all.

On a personal note, I don't really recommend using a real-time anti-virus/anti-malware scanner. Instead I just have Malwarebytes installed as an on-demand scanner if I require it just in case and run weekly or bi-weekly system-wide scans using a good online scanner like the one from ESET - http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/.